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Biomedical subjects

M Smyth

Publications and source records attributed to M Smyth.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Diapause in Ornithomya biloba Dufour (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) parasitic on fairy martins in South Australia.

A pupal diapause in Ornithomya biloba gives the parasite a life cycle that is well adapted to the migratory life cycle of its host, Petrochelidon ariel (Gould). The fairy martins breed in colonial mud nests to which they return each spring and abandon when they migrate during late summer and autumn. The parasites spend the summer as diapausing puparia in the abandoned nests. Diapause development is completed during winter and the adult flies emerge during August about the time that the martins return. In the laboratory diapause development was completed most rapidly at about 11 C. The parasites complete at least one nondiapausing generation during spring and early summer but diapausing puparaia begin to appear in the nests about the time of the summer solstice. It is not known whether the facultative diapause is induced by photoperiod or food.

Animals↗
PubMed1968

Obligatory sperm storage in the skink Hemiergis peronii.

Female Hemiergis peronii ovulate in the spring; males' testes are small and without sperm in the spring, enlarge to a maximum in late summer, and decrease in the winter. Females' oviducts contain sperm over the winter. It follows that females are inseminated in autumn and store sperm until they ovulate in spring.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alanine aminopeptidase of guinea-pig brain: a broad specificity cytoplasmic enzyme capable of hydrolysing short and intermediate length peptides.

Alanine aminopeptidase is reported to be a broad specificity aminopeptidase acting on peptides of different lengths. In this study we wish to define the properties of the activity from guinea-pig brain and compare these properties with previous findings. Alanine amino-peptidase was purified from cytoplasm of guinea-pig brain by a four-step procedure involving chromatography on DE-52, hydroxylapatite, Sephacryl S-200 and DEAE-Sephacryl. Relative molecular mass was determined by chromatography on Sephacryl S-200 column and subunit size determined by SDS-PAGE under denaturing conditions. Cations which reactivate the enzyme were determined with EDTA treated enzyme. Substrate specificity was determined by TLC and kinetic parameters were derived from Lineweaver-Burk plots. A 216-fold purification was achieved by the above procedures. The purified enzyme was found to consist of one polypeptide chain with a relative molecular mass of 104,000. Its activity was inhibited by chelating agents, sulphydryl reactive agents, puromycin, bestatin and amastatin but stimulated over 6-fold by dithiothreitol. Some dipeptides and all tripeptides and longer peptides containing up to 16 amino acids tested were hydrolysed provided neither Glp or Pro occurred at the N-terminus or that Pro did not occur in the penultimate position from the N-terminus. The enzyme preferred bulky non-polar residues at the N-terminal and penultimate positions and was found to hydrolyse three dipeptidyl methyl coumarin amides used in detecting dipeptidyl aminopeptidases. Alanine aminopeptidase is thus a broad specificity amino-peptidase acting on short and intermediate length peptides whose affinity for substrates increases with increasing peptide length. Its properties are well suited to a role in peptide turnover in brain cytoplasm.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing assessment and management of pain in critically ill children.

OBJECTIVES: To describe how nurses assess and manage pain in critically ill children. DESIGN: Descriptive, comparative research design, with use of the Indicators of Pain in Critically Ill Children assessment tool. SETTING: Twelve-bed pediatric intensive care unit in a metropolitan general hospital with a level II pediatric trauma center. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four pediatric intensive care unit nurses who conducted 112 assessments of 25 critically ill children. RESULTS: Pain indicators selected most frequently by nurses included cardiovascular and respiratory changes (increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure), followed by behavioral indicators (irritable/fussy, verbalizing pain, crying), and neuromuscular responses (tenseness/rigidity, squirming, drawing up legs). The average number of pain indicators selected during each medication event was 5.3. More indicators were selected for trauma, surgery, and younger patients; fewer indicators were selected for patients receiving ventilation treatment. CONCLUSION: Pain assessment of critically ill children includes unique indicators, as compared to less sick children, and must take into account the child's decreased ability to communicate pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Establishment of a state-supported, specialized home care program for children with complex health-care needs.

Establishment of a systematic approach to home care for children who require complex, technology-dependent care requires a well-thought-out process of collaboration and planning between all parties involved--the family, the professional, and the hospital. The State of Michigan Department of Public Health elected to assist families in taking their children home through a Specialized Home Care Program funded by combined sources that emphasized child care needs first rather than cost savings. This review identifies the development of roles, processes and products, and methods to enhance the discharge planning and home care processes. These processes indicate the need for parent involvement and teamwork with health-care professionals. Refinement of the program is suggested as well as further development of an evaluation component and family assessment tools.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Synthesis of genetics into community-based nursing practice.

Scientific knowledge in the field of clinical genetics is increasing rapidly. To address the need for genetic information at the community level, the Michigan Department of Public Health coordinates a statewide program that provides genetic and newborn screening services. Services including genetic diagnosis, counseling, and outreach education are provided in five geographic regions by major genetic centers. Nurses in a variety of primary pediatric care settings also work with families affected by genetic disorders and birth defects; they serve as an important part of the team providing comprehensive genetic health care to children and their parents. For those families, the nurse must utilize a knowledge of genetics to provide appropriate family-centered assessment.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of the child and adolescent trial for cardiovascular health intervention on psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular disease risk behavior among third-grade students.

PURPOSE: The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health is a multi-site study of a school-based intervention designed to reduce or prevent the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The goal was to change (or prevent) related risk behaviors and the psychosocial variables that theoretically influence those behaviors. DESIGN: A nested design was used in which schools served as the primary unit of analysis. Twenty-four schools participated at each of four sites (Austin, San Diego, Minneapolis, and New Orleans). Each site had 10 control and 14 intervention schools. SETTING AND SUBJECT: Ninety-six schools (with more than 6000 students) in the four sites were randomized to three treatment conditions: control, school-based interventions, and school-plus-family interventions. The sample included approximately equal numbers of males and females and was 67.5% white, 13.9% African-American, 13.9% Hispanic, and 4.7% other. MEASURES: The psychosocial determinants included improvements in dietary knowledge, intentions, self-efficacy, usual behavior, perceived social reinforcement for healthy food choices, and perceived reinforcement and self-efficacy for physical activity. RESULTS: The findings indicated significant improvements in all the psychosocial determinants measured (p < .0001). The results revealed a greater impact in the school-plus-family intervention schools for two determinants, usual dietary behavior and intentions to eat heart-healthy foods. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support theory-based interventions for changing selected psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular disease risk behavior among children.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗